From “Design Thinking” to “What Were They Thinking”

How does poor product design contribute to a poor customer experience? This unbelievable how-to video provides a master class on the subject.


 

How many engineers does it take to design a user-friendly smart light bulb?  Apparently more than are on the payroll at General Electric.

In this gem of a how-to video, GE explains how consumers can reset their “C by GE” smart light bulbs.  They’ve also, unknowingly, given us all a master class in how poor product design contributes to a poor customer experience.

“Simplicity” is one of Watermark’s core principles for customer experience design, but what GE has done here is simply awful.

Sit back and watch for yourself — and remember, this isn’t a comedy skit.  It’s real.

 

 

Calling this a “smart” light bulb is an insult to light bulbs everywhere.  One can only wonder if a similar procedure is used to reset GE nuclear power plants and jet engines.

What’s even scarier is that this isn’t even the first version of the how-to video — it’s “updated,” according to GE’s post.  How much worse was the original one they chose to replace?

In all seriousness, though, the beauty of how-to videos and related content (instruction manuals, assembly diagrams, etc.) is that they provide something of a litmus test around product complexity.

Whether it’s how to assemble and use a product, or even just how to fill out a service form — by stepping back and looking critically at the instructions required, you can get a sense of how much complexity is embedded in your customer experience.

From a design perspective, the best customer experiences are the ones that are elegant and intuitive, with little or no instruction required (pretty much the exact opposite of what GE has done here).

Strive for that level of design excellence, and you’ll be revered by customers — instead of ridiculed.

 

Jon Picoult is the founder of customer experience advisory firm Watermark Consulting.  As a consultant and a speaker, he’s worked with the CEOs and executive teams of some of the world’s top brands.  Follow Jon on Twitter or Subscribe to his monthly eNewsletter.

 

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